Radiator.



T. D. ROBINSON.

RADIATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED APR.11, 1910,

1,02 l ,3.34. Y Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 BHEETBSHEBT 2.

THEODORE 1). ROBINSON, 0F LOCKPORT, NEW YORK.

RADIATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Application ledApi-il 11, 1910. Serial No. 554,655.

To all whom it may. concern.'

' Be it known that I, THEoDoRn D. RoninsoN, a citizen of the United States, and resi,- dent of Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiators.

My invention relates to improvements in radiators for automobiles for rapidly cooling the water passing through the water jackets of the automobile engine.,

Inl radiators employed for such purpose, the water enters the same in a heated and sometimes boiling condition and after passing through the radiator is discharged therefrom in a comparatively cool condition.

strains due to the uneven contraction and expansionl of the parts brought on bythe water cooling as it travels toward the outlet of the radiator. This is particularly true of a tube-radiator wherein individual air-tubes are assembled in block-form and united at the ends to form water-passages therebetween; the tubes nearest the inlet of the radiator onat the upper` end thereof being necessarily subjected to greatest strain due to the fact that the water is hottest as it enters the radiator and when stopping the engine, the water throughout will become cooled, thus the maximumcontraction and expansion takes place at the upper end ot' the radiator and is graduatedy from the highest point to the lowest point4 causing uneven strain which tends to separate the joints between the several tubes.

It is the object ot' my invention to so construct and unite the several ai rv-tubes ot the radiator that the expansion and con traction force is confined to points between separating means located near opposite ends of the tubes and provide means to positively retain the uniting solder between adjoining tubes inthe event of thc solder becoming loosened under uneven strain; also to provide means for protect-ing the uniting solder between the endsrot' the tubes.

To these ends the invention consists inthe construction of the air-tubes 'and in the arrangement and combination of Dartsl tobey During its passage through the ra-k ldiator, the latter is subjected to severe hereinafter described and ,particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part' of this specifi'- cation, and in which,-

Figure l is a front elevation of a radiator constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig.-3 is a perspective view ofa sheet of copper fashioned and operated upon to construct my improved air-tube. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of one of the air-tubes. Fig. 5 is an enlarged lfront elevation of a number of assembled tubes showing th'c outstanding retainer iianges of adjoining tubes in contact and showing also the openings between the fianges for the admission ot the uniting solder. Fig.' 6 is a vertical section takenon line 6-\6, F ig. 5; in this view, however, the solder is shown between the spacing-ribs and the outstanding retainer lianges.

Referring to the letters of reference shown in the drawings, A represents a casing into the upper end oi which is directed an inlet.- pipe a, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, through which the heated water from the water jacket of an engine is delivered, the water entering the radiator at a high point, as is common, and discharging from the radiator ata low point, as at al.

'lhe upper portion of the radiator A1 is made hollow asis common in radiators of this type, and the lower portion A2 is likewise constructed. .Between the upper and lower portions of the radiator the assembled tubes fl' are situated, these air-tubes being preferably arranged in horizontal rows extending from side to side of the casing and in order to give the water passing through the radiator a circuitous travel, these airtubes are staggered from the top to bottom. Each tube has a continuous bead C near each end formed by bulging the'metal outward so as to form a gentle slope from the point ot greatest expansion outward to the edge of the tubes and inward to the inter-- mediate portion of the tube which is of normal size, the passage through the tube being' of equal dimneter throu rhout except where these beads are arrange Saidi beads may in` Fig. 3, .and in the sheet I form a trans,

-serve as means for spacing the ltubes and may therefore be termed spacing-beads.

Since the beads of each air-tube lie in contact with the beads of adjoining airtubes, they provide shallow grooves between vthe extremities of the tubes whose walls verse groove D near each end whichiform the spacing-beads C of the tube. The copper sheet 1s to be folded along the dotted lines d, d1, d2, shown in Fig. 3, andthe sheets are slit at opposite ends, as' at E, so ythat after folding the sheet into the form of a tube, these slits appear at the corners of the tube, .the extremitles of the four walls of the tube are then bent outward `at a ri ht-angle to form retainer flanges-.Fg this bemglpermitted by the slits d, d1, d2, just referred to.

4The tubes so formed are assembled in the manner shown in Fig. 5 so thatthe spacing vribs of adjoining tubes contact to form the water-passages Gr. The outstanding retainer flanges F at each tube abut with their edges against the edges vof adjoining tubes; but

at the corners 'of the tubes, these flanges leave a cut-away portion H. The cut-.away portions of abutting flanges in the same horizontal row coincide and form openin s I. After the tubes are assembled and he d,

in assembled condition4 in any practicable vmanner, the ends are dipped in molten solretainer flanges, access being had to said the tubes, the retainer flanges F retain thegrooves throu h the openings I formed at the angles of t e tubes. A

By dipping the ends into molten solder in this manner, the entire surface of the tubes at the front and rear is coated with solder so that the joints between the tubes are rendered invisible, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

If through the expansive and contractive .properties of the tube or for any otherl reason, such as undue jarring of the car or coming in contact with an obstruction, the solder breaks loose from the walls of solder in proper position and by means of an ordinary soldering-iron a secure joint can be made at the .defective point ofthe radiator.

By providing the tubes with spacing beads and retaining flanges spaced therefrom, a convenient means is provided for uniting the .joining tubes and the 'beads near opposite ends and outstanding tubes by means/of solder and a secure union assured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,-

l. A radiator comprising a casing and a plurality of assembled tubes set into said casing,.each tube having a bead near one end formed by expanding the metal outward and a retainer flange spaced from said bead, said tubes having1 the beads of ade ges of the retainer flanges of adjoining tubes lying in contact to provide solder-receiving grooves between the beads and flanges, and solder in said grooves uniting saidtubes.

2. A radiator comprising a-casin anda plurality of assembled tubes set wit in said casing, each tube having spacin means near opposite ends and an outstan ing retainer 4 flange at each end separated from the adjacent separating-means to form solder-rev ceiving grooves, said tubes having their separating-means lying in contact with the separating-means of adjoining tubes to form water passages, and solder 1n said solderreceiving rooves for uniting said tubes.

3. A ra iator comprisingia casing and a pluralityv of -assembledgair-tubes ,set within said casing, each tube havin outstanding retainer flanges at opposite en s, separatingmeans betweensaid tubes spaced from said flanges to form solder-receiving grooves, and solder in said grooves uniting sald tubes.

4. A radiator comprisin a'caSing and assembled air-tubes set wit in said casing,

of the tubes, the spacing beads of adjoining tubes and the retainer flanges of adjoining, f

tubes lying in contact, the spacing flanges'of" each tube being formed to provide openings for solder in the space between said flanges' and said beads, and solder in said grooves uniting said tubes.

5. An angular tube for radiators having' retainer flanges at its ends separated from said beads by intervening spaces, said flax ges being cut-away at the angles of the tube, as and for the purpose specified.

6. A rectangular tube for radiators formed of a sheet of thin metal having transverse beads near opposite ends and slits at each c end extending toward said beads, said sheet of metal to be folded lengthwise in line with said slits -to form the tuie and the ends of the tubes thus formed being bent outward between said slits. v

-7. A radiator comprising a casin anda plurality of assembled tubes set wit in said casing, said tubes being expanded near opposite ends to form spacing beads which recede from their points of greatest expansion outward to the edges of the tube and inward to the unexpanded intermediate body In testimony whereof, I have afxed my portion, 'said tube having also outstanding signature in the presence of two subscribing 10 retainer anges at theirA outer edges, the -Wltnesses lbeads and anges of each tube lying in 5 contact with those of adjoinin tubes to form solder-'receiving grooves aving in- Witnesses: Wardly-converging walls, and solder within ELLA C. PLEUCKHAHN, said grooves for uniting said tubes. JACOB L. OBnRsT, Jr.

THEODORE D. ROBINSON. 

